I've been poking about the additions to Steam profiles lately, and while I'm generally very excited about the changes, one consistent omission is making me a bit of a sad panda. Frankly, I'm not sure why I'm bothering with this segue, since the title kind of spoils what I intend to point out; I'm talking about artwork.

I've noticed that this little corner of Steam Communities tends to get buried in any shuffle. If you'll recall when the beta profiles first released, the repositioned links at the right listed screenshots, videos, workshop items... and literally everything else but artwork. It was added promptly afterward, which is good, but it's kind of missing again. Specifically, as a showcase option, first unlocked around user level ten.

Artwork is the perfect candidate for its own showcase for much the same reason that Screenshot submissions and Workshop items are included. It's a way for users to express themselves personally, strut a bit, and, possibly more important for Valve and developers alike, promote the games the artwork was made for. If badges allow users to show their devotion to their favorite games, than the ability to display artwork shouts it to the heavens, and/or Venezuela.

It could be used not only to build a sense of community, but to potentially spread the word about the games that users are so devoted to, that they spend their own time in meatspace crafting tributes to them. That's the kind of exposure that indie games in particular thrive off of; dedicated community and long-term interest in a beloved brand, which other folks can then discover in turn.

What I'm saying is, it's good for sales. I'm attempting an appeal to your finances, here, in case "almost everything else we contribute here on steam has a showcase option already" isn't enough.